Some things we can agree on

WHAT KATI DID NEXT:

I like Ribena, he likes Vimto — can we have a reasonable argument about it?

I mean, I don’t mind Vimto, but I prefer Ribena.

It’s just a preference. Like I prefer white wine while he prefers red. I prefer to leave the toilet seat down, he always prefers to leave it up.

I prefer to pick up any folded clean clothes left on the bottom step and take them up the stairs, he prefers to walk past them, sometimes even knocking them down as he passes.

I prefer to sort out an argument quickly and he prefers to stubbornly — yes, as a mule — hold on to the petty things he believes to be right, for days if not weeks.

I prefer to admit I’m wrong when I am, he prefers to let me admit I’m wrong whether I am or not.

I prefer to think earnestly about birthday presents, buying him what he has wanted for, like, ever, while he prefers to buy me something from the garage, like chocolates packed full of nuts, when he knows full well I have a nut allergy.

I prefer to get up early with the boy so we are not in a rush in the morning, whereas he prefers to wait until the last minute, rush around in a noisy panic, waking the baby, ensuring that I take control of the situation and let him off the hook again.

I prefer to make lists containing all the important things needing to be done around the house while he prefers to either ignore them entirely, throw them in the bin or recycle them. I would prefer him not to do that, but he prefers it his way.

I prefer waking up on a lazy Sunday morning with the papers delivered to me, my breakfast on a tray, with a red rose in a small vase, a pot of tea, croissants, juice, boiled egg and soldiers and a kiss from my two lovely children.

Then for my two lovely children to be taken off me for an hour to give me a break, reading said Sunday papers from cover to cover and finding a little card on the tray from my husband saying how much he appreciates all that I do and that he loves me very much.

Thankfully, he prefers to do that as well. And he did. Today.